Burger Block
85 Willsmere Road, Kew
03 9853 5771
Burger, Cafe
$
Food
- Curry Chicken Burger
- Eureka Burger
- Tempura Fish Burger
The Good
The Curry Chicken Burger was probably the highlight of this cheatmeal. The chicken itself was tender, and having been marinated in Japanese curry and grilled with cheese, proved to be a rather delightful and unique combination of flavours. While the flavour profile closely resembles an authentic Japanese curry and you would expect this to be served with a side of rice, it is actually sandwiched within a brioche bun! I was highly sceptical at first, but admittedly this combination did work rather well and am pleased with the resulting burger.
The Mediocre
The Eureka Burger could’ve and would’ve been a real winner if not for one thing. While all the main components were of high quality and cooked well - namely the thick, flavourful beef patty, the crunchy bacon and onion ring and of course the drippy, melted cheese, it was all let down by the sauce. Not only was the barbeque-esque sauce overly sweet, it was also applied in such huge quantities that it overpowered all the other delicious components of the burger. Unfortunately, this burger was not so much held together, but rather drenched in this less-than-desirable sauce.
The Bad
The Tempura Fish Burger, while imaginative to place the whole fillet inside a bun, was a total letdown. Even though the fish itself was chunky and the fillet was great quality, the batter was fried to rock hard. This resulted in a very chewy and unpleasasnt experience, especially contrasted by that soft brioche bun. As above, the burger was once again completely drenched, this time in mayonnaise. Even the melted cheese didn’t save it this time and all I could taste was a sweet and tangy mayo with bits of hard, chewy batter. How disappointing.
Burgers overall were undoubtedly on the small side given the price tag. Compounded by some overly-charred brioche buns, the edible portion is further reduced.
The Verdict
Overall an inventive and unqiue burger joint that’s a bit of a hit and miss. While it can certainly dish out great-tasting burgers with unique flavours (Curry Chicken Burger), some definitely need re-thinking and need to be re-worked.
Would Penguin Eat Again?
Maybe. I really do hope they sort out their inconsistencies though as that’s the major cause of all letdowns.